"A" Gang Goes on Strike in 1966?

[Dave Nesbitt]

I have a freind that was a Classmate of Richard Tarbuck at the Academy, class of 1958.

[Dave Nesbitt]

We have quite a "thread" going here... CDR Woodall was aboard the USS Lynde McCormick (DDG-8)with me in 1967-69. He was the "M" Division Officer as a Ltjg. It's a small Navy! 

[Mark D]

Interesting - a recurring theme! Dave in 1966, John in 1976, and me in 1986.

Our CO in '86 was CDR Steve Woodall and he, too was a serious motivator. We worked hard (and played hard) and ALWAYS got the job done. We took great pride in not only meeting our commitments, but in doing them better than anyone else. There was a great deal of blood, sweat, and tears not to mention a fair share of sacrificed liberty time for all hands. From 1986 (and probably earlier, but that's when I came aboard) through to when I left in late 1990, we spent more time underway than any other ship on the waterfront. We were the "go-to" ship for DESRON 2. If another ship in the Squadron couldn't make it, they called us. I remember breaking away from 6 weeks of carrier ops in the Caribbean to make a full power run back to Norfolk just so we could on load foul weather gear over the weekend, then run to the Arctic Circle to participate in a 6 week NATO exercise there (I believe that was NORTHSTAR 89).

[RMC John Joseph]

 DAVE SAID - "BUT I learned one very important lesson from it all and one that I adopted into my way of thinking. Once you commit, you are committed and you do whatever it takes to fullfill that commitment."

I have done the same. I think some of it comes from making it through these things and making it to the "Goat Locker" eventually. I also believe that many of our shipmates are the better for it, whether they stayed just a few years or just couldn't leave until we were asked. 

I have some pretty good photos of my life and times on-board. I need to scan them and put them up soon. I arrived at KING in Dec. 1976, and left in Barcelona, Spain in July 1979. I'll get my act and photos together very soon to share with everyone. I'm glad you have this going! Very nice, Thanks!

John

[Dave Nesbitt]

Our CO  at the time was CDR Charles P. Tesh, and I have no doubt that he was looking for that 4th stripe. I resented that we were going to sea when COMNAVSURFPAC wanted us to go into dry dock and get the leak fixed and then we ended up losing two weeks of stand-down before deploying. BUT I learned one very important lesson from it all and one that I adopted into my way of thinking. Once you commit, you are committed and you do whatever it takes to fullfill that commitment. CDR Tesh was committed to participating in Operation Grey Ghost and come hell or litterally high water, he was going to be there.

[RMC John Joseph]

  It sounds like the typical "I'm Striking for Captain" type crap from senior wardroom club members. CDR. Grant Sharp was our Skipper when we recomm KING. He was a go getter, and busted our butts consistently. We accomplished quite a bit, and the satisfaction came later if you know what I mean.

[Dave Nesbitt]

John, you are taxing my memory, but I seem to recall that someone from the wardroom, went out on the pier to negotiate with the "A" Gang and convinced them that they had better get back to work or face charges. You have to remember that these poor guys were manning the pumps around the clock for 2 weeks. By time we got back into port, every P250 (Handy Billy) and P500 on the ship were broke down from continuous use.

I had hoped that some from the "A" Gang of that time would have provided more detail, but no such luck! I heard that we were taking on around 900 gallons of sea water an hour. 

[RMC John Joseph]

Dave, What was the result of a "STRIKE"? Sounds close to at least NJP if not more serious.

[Dave Nesbitt]

I seem to recall that in 1966, King developed a leak in the hull while we were at sea. We were due to participate in Operation Gray Ghost for two weeks, after which we would be in Stand-Down until our Deployment to West Pac. Rather then missing out on Gray Ghost, and going into dry dock to get the leak fixed, Capt. Tesh elected to participate in the exercise. During that two weeks at sea, the "A" Gang had to keep pumps going to get the sea water out that was leaking in. I do not remember how much water it was, but it was a significant amount. After the two weeks at sea, we went to Long Beach for dry docking and repairs, which used up two weeks of our stand-down period. Sometime during all of this the "A" Gang had had enough and had a "sit down" strike.

Maybe someone from A-Gang during that time can provide some details as to what happened and why.